July 21 (UPI) — A 13-year-old Missouri boy caught a longear sunfish that weighed 5 ounces, breaking a record that was set by his own father exactly one year earlier.
The Missouri Department of Conservation said St. Louis resident Robert “RJ” Audrain IV, 13, was fishing in a private pond July 3 in Franklin County when he caught the 5-ounce fish.
The department said the previous state record for a longear sunfish was set by Audrain’s father on the same date in 2020, when he reeled in a 4-ounce fish from the same pond.
“We were at the lake fishing all day and having fun,” the younger Audrain told MDC officials. “I was using my handline and after about 5 minutes of trying I pulled out the fish. I’m really proud of myself and pretty competitive so it’s cool I beat my dad’s record.”
Audrain said his record-setting fish will be mounted at his home, next to the fish his father caught last year.
“We were actually joking that it would be funny if we had a new record on the wall each year that is an ounce bigger,” he said. “I think we’re definitely going to keep trying to break our records.”